New to Fluval Evo 13.5 - Setup

[BFResende]

Hey there!

I’d love to get some input from you. I recently set up a new tank on July 30th, which is currently going through its nitrogen cycle.

I’ve been monitoring the nitrates, temperature, and salinity closely, and here are the results from yesterday:

• Nitrates: 19.9 ppm
• Temperature: 25.5ºC
• Salinity: 33.5 ppt

At the very beginning, I added some Fishless Fuel (ammonia) and have since dosed the tank with Fluval Cycle several times.

Here’s a quick overview of my setup:

• Tank: Fluval Evo 13.5
• Light: AI Prime 16HD Reef (setup photo below)
• Pump: Sicce 0.5
• Wavemaker: Jecod DSW-5 (setup photo below)
• Heater: Sera 75w
• Cooler: JBL Protemp X200
• Temperature Control: INKBIRD (set to 25.5ºC, measured in the last chamber, which means around 25.3ºC in the middle of the tank)
• Skimmer: Fluval SP2 Mini (first chamber)
• ATO: F-Zone

SUMP:

• Chamber 1: Skimmer + Bio cubes + ATO water
• Chamber 2: Reef-print basket with filter floss, activated carbon, more bio cubes
• Chamber 3: Heater, ATO sensor, Inkbird sensor, Pump

Plans:

• Add a variety of soft corals
• Introduce 1 or 2 clownfish
• Add a cleaning crew
• Possibly add 1 or 2 more fish

Question 1:

• When should I consider the nitrogen cycle complete?
• How many fish should I add initially?
• Should I introduce corals or fish first?
• Is it possible to add both corals and fish at the same time?

Question 2:

• Should I install a UV system to manage algae?

Question 3:

• I’m considering setting up a kalkwasser dosing pump. Do you think it’s necessary?

Question 4:

• What’s your opinion on my light setup?

SUMP

TANK

PHOTOS

 

[Shawnd08]

If Nitrite and Ammonia are testing 0 then your all set to start adding fish and coral. I would add one or two fish to start and if you want you can add coral. as far as kalk you don't need to does it, you could just do water changes. on a small system water changes will be easy and your best bet as it will replenish what the coral use and also remove any pollutants that may get in the water.

 

[BFResende]

I also wanted to mention another issue I'm encountering. My dKh is currently at 4.2, which seems a bit low. I tested it twice, and one day ago, it was 4.1. Is this normal during the cycling process?

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer!

 

[BFResende]

Regarding the Alk I already know what's happening... my ATO water is at 0.7 so its dropping my tank Alk.

 

[BFResende]

up

 

[BFResende]

up

 

[Joeganja]

I also wanted to mention another issue I'm encountering. My dKh is currently at 4.2, which seems a bit low. I tested it twice, and one day ago, it was 4.1. Is this normal during the cycling process?

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer!

I’m sure someone more knowledgeable than me will answer why the alkalinity is so low and if it’s partly due to the cycle but I’m curious to know what salt mix you’re using because each salt mix varies between alkalinity.

 

[Joeganja]

Hey there!

I’d love to get some input from you. I recently set up a new tank on July 30th, which is currently going through its nitrogen cycle.

I’ve been monitoring the nitrates, temperature, and salinity closely, and here are the results from yesterday:

• Nitrates: 19.9 ppm
• Temperature: 25.5ºC
• Salinity: 33.5 ppt

At the very beginning, I added some Fishless Fuel (ammonia) and have since dosed the tank with Fluval Cycle several times.

Here’s a quick overview of my setup:

• Tank: Fluval Evo 13.5
• Light: AI Prime 16HD Reef (setup photo below)
• Pump: Sicce 0.5
• Wavemaker: Jecod DSW-5 (setup photo below)
• Heater: Sera 75w
• Cooler: JBL Protemp X200
• Temperature Control: INKBIRD (set to 25.5ºC, measured in the last chamber, which means around 25.3ºC in the middle of the tank)
• Skimmer: Fluval SP2 Mini (first chamber)
• ATO: F-Zone

SUMP:

• Chamber 1: Skimmer + Bio cubes + ATO water
• Chamber 2: Reef-print basket with filter floss, activated carbon, more bio cubes
• Chamber 3: Heater, ATO sensor, Inkbird sensor, Pump

Plans:

• Add a variety of soft corals
• Introduce 1 or 2 clownfish
• Add a cleaning crew
• Possibly add 1 or 2 more fish

Question 1:

• When should I consider the nitrogen cycle complete?
• How many fish should I add initially?
• Should I introduce corals or fish first?
• Is it possible to add both corals and fish at the same time?

Question 2:

• Should I install a UV system to manage algae?

Question 3:

• I’m considering setting up a kalkwasser dosing pump. Do you think it’s necessary?

Question 4:

• What’s your opinion on my light setup?

SUMP

TANK

PHOTOS

I’d like to also add that your lightning setup is fine for the time being and given the size and coverage of that tank and the coverage of that light you could always increase the brightness if you get coral that require more light. I have had uv sterilizers on some tanks and I do currently have on my main tank only due to a small breakout of ich I wanted to keep under control and it did. As far as having one to maintain algae growth it’s worked for some and for others not so well so your results may vary. It does technically kill free flowing algae that get exposed to the uv bulb inside the sterilizer but it has to have the right amount of flow.

 

[BFResende]

I don't know why my Alk got so low but I manage to fix that with the first tpa and
adding some Ph/Alk booster.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Regarding the Alk I already know what's happening... my ATO water is at 0.7 so its dropping my tank Alk.

Your ATO water is not changing the Alkalinity.
The ATO is replacing water lost to evaporation so it has no effect on Alkalinity.

Before making any changes, test the Alkalinity of freshly mixed saltwater to check that your test is working correctly. Hanna Alk reagent is only stable for about 1-2 months after it has been opened.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I don't know why my Alk got so low but I manage to fix that with the first tpa and
adding some Ph/Alk booster.

If your Alkalinity is indeed low, you should use sodium bicarbonate (Baking Soda) to increase it.

 

[BFResende]

I conducted a couple of tests on my stored saltwater. The alkalinity (Alk) in the stored water measured 6.8. I also tested my display tank using Salifert tests, and they all showed it was actually around 4.2/4.3. So, there's no doubt that my alkalinity was low.

I performed a 50% water change and added Aquavitro 8.4.

Now, the alkalinity is at 7.

You were right that my ATO water wasn’t affecting the Alk. It might have been related to the bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle.